Recently, I (Maritza) had a wonderful experience that showed me yet again that the best gifts, the ones that are most appreciated, are totally free for anyone to give. They include love, kindness, understanding, affection, patience and compassion.
When I was about 9 years old, my parents finally started being successful in business after years of study and planning (and counting their pennies). Mom was their business manager and had to work a TON to get the business up and running and then profitable. She made a difficult decision that many working moms must face to get some help while working in their careers. She decided to get some help raising her children.
Help came in the form of an 18-year-old girl named Estella.
She helped every day after school while my Mom and Dad worked hard to build a business, help people and live their purpose. Each evening, when we were saying goodbye, I yelled after her, "I love you, Estella!" What I didn't know at the time was that she had a very difficult childhood and this was the first time she had been shown love and affection so freely and so frequently.
Recently, I saw her again after about 15 years. She told me how much my constant love and affection while I was growing up, given so freely, had affected her and changed her life.
Although she had no one in terms of real family at the time, it gave her strength to go out and make a life for herself. She met a wonderful man and settled down to have her own family. She says my childhood kindness helped her rebuild her self-esteem. She now has two grown children and grandchildren. It's obvious love flows freely in her home.
We want to challenge you to loosen your collar and become more free in giving out these real gifts that mean so much more than a present or card given at the holidays. When was the last time you told someone, "I love you?" or let them know you care. When was the last time you praised someone for their efforts or showed consideration and patience with a loved one, a student or a complete stranger?
We love to conduct "kindness experiments" with complete strangers. We see if we can make strangers get "off their guard" and engage with us in fun and kindness. The best part about this is seeing our kids learn this from us and begin doing it, too.
A Few Action Questions
1. Who has loved you well in your past, giving you encouragement and self-esteem, that you could thank in the next week?
2. How many people might there be whose lives you are affecting and you don't even know it? Try raising the number by at least one new uplifting interaction a week.
You NEVER know what's going on in someone's life. Each interaction we have is an opportunity to lift others up or push them down.
Will you lift people up with your presence on earth or will you push them down?
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